TicketsCINCINNATI - Former University of Cincinnati women's soccer standout Vanessa Gilles has a signed a two-year contract to play professionally with Girondins de Bordeaux in the Championnat de France de Football Féminin, also known as D1F. The league is one of the best around and enters 2018-19 ranked second in Europe according to the UEFA Association Coefficient Rankings.
"We're all ecstatic for Vanessa that her career continues to soar," UC Head Coach Neil Stafford said. "She's going to a fantastic club that values women's soccer. Vanessa's always had a big upside because of her mentality and her willingness to work on her craft; couple that with fantastic coaches and players and her game will continue to grow. I know how happy she'll be living and playing in France and I think it won't take much for her to settle in from the word go. Vanessa is a great example for all of our current and future players. She will give them something to shoot for in their careers. Vanessa is a pioneer for UC Women's Soccer and hopefully we'll see more Bearcats follow in her footsteps."
Bordeaux finished seventh in the D1F standings last season with Lyon (Olympique Lyonnais) winning its 11th title in a row before capturing the UEFA Women's Champions League crown for the third year in a row and fifth overall. The season in the 12-team league gets underway for Bordeaux on August 25 with a road match at Metz. The regular season wraps in early May with the Top 2 teams in the standings earning berths into the Champions League while the bottom two teams on the table are relegated to the French second division.
Gilles recently completed her first professional season playing for Apollon Ladies in the Cypriot First Division, helping her side to the Pancyprian Cup by defeating regular season champion Barcelona FA on penalties. In her lone season playing in Cyprus, Gilles appeared in 11 matches and scored 10 goals.
Gilles, the 2017 American Athletic Conference Co-Defensive Player of the Year, will be playing alongside a familiar face in Kathellen Sousa, who played for conference foe UCF last year. Gilles and Sousa were the two players who shared the AAC defensive honor last season.
"We're all ecstatic for Vanessa that her career continues to soar," UC Head Coach Neil Stafford said. "She's going to a fantastic club that values women's soccer. Vanessa's always had a big upside because of her mentality and her willingness to work on her craft; couple that with fantastic coaches and players and her game will continue to grow. I know how happy she'll be living and playing in France and I think it won't take much for her to settle in from the word go. Vanessa is a great example for all of our current and future players. She will give them something to shoot for in their careers. Vanessa is a pioneer for UC Women's Soccer and hopefully we'll see more Bearcats follow in her footsteps."
Bordeaux finished seventh in the D1F standings last season with Lyon (Olympique Lyonnais) winning its 11th title in a row before capturing the UEFA Women's Champions League crown for the third year in a row and fifth overall. The season in the 12-team league gets underway for Bordeaux on August 25 with a road match at Metz. The regular season wraps in early May with the Top 2 teams in the standings earning berths into the Champions League while the bottom two teams on the table are relegated to the French second division.
Gilles recently completed her first professional season playing for Apollon Ladies in the Cypriot First Division, helping her side to the Pancyprian Cup by defeating regular season champion Barcelona FA on penalties. In her lone season playing in Cyprus, Gilles appeared in 11 matches and scored 10 goals.
Gilles, the 2017 American Athletic Conference Co-Defensive Player of the Year, will be playing alongside a familiar face in Kathellen Sousa, who played for conference foe UCF last year. Gilles and Sousa were the two players who shared the AAC defensive honor last season.